If you’re anything like most students, the last thing you want to be doing with your free time is tidying your dorm room. At the same time, there’s nothing less homely than a bedroom which is always messy, and a pile of clothes and books doesn’t exactly create the most relaxing atmosphere to wind down in at the end of the day. To help you find a middle ground, here are our tips on how to declutter your dorm room with the minimum of effort.
A place for everything and everything in its place
The easiest way to keep your dorm room tidy is to make sure everything has its own place, and to always return it to that place when you’re done with it. If you’ve ever found yourself using your bed, desk, or floor as a dumping ground for your stuff on a regular basis, it’s likely that it was because you hadn’t found a place for those things in your room. Simple solutions such as having coat hooks on the back of your door and a place in your wardrobe to put your shoes at the end of the day will go a long way to keeping your room decluttered if you get into the habit of using them. As you won’t be able to attach a coat hook to your door with a nail in a rental, use a Command Hook instead.
Make the most of your space
As dorm rooms generally aren’t known for being the most spacious rooms in the world, it’s important to utilise every available inch of storage space you have. Clever solutions such as under-bed storage boxes will help you make the most out of the often overlooked space that may be available under your bed — Plastic Box Shop offers a range that includes clear plastic models which will allow you to find what you’re looking for at a glance. For more ideas on how to maximise the storage space in your room, check out this great guide from Apartment Therapy.
A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind
If your dorm room has its own desk, it can be tempting to use it as a dumping ground for everything you haven’t found a home for. If you’re planning on working from the desk, you should try to avoid falling in to this trap, as it’s hard to keep your train of thought on a desk covered with rubbish. Having to tidy your desk before you start your essay is also a great excuse for procrastination, which is the last thing you’ll want when you need to get your work done.
To ensure you have a clean and clear desk at all times, pick up some magazine files, such as these from Osco, to help keep your papers tidy and easy to find. To keep your course books organised as well as making an attractive decoration out of them, you can get some quirky bookends at notonthehighstreet.com.
Keep these tips in mind when you’re planning the organisation of your dorm room and it will be all the more easy to keep clean and tidy your whole time there.
- Subscribe to The Student Pocket Guide for exclusive competitions, deals, discounts, tips and advice!
- Read The Student Pocket Guide.
